Digital camera network for commercial aircraft

ABSTRACT

An aircraft camera system is described for passenger entertainment and safety that includes several arrays of digital cameras mounted on a passenger aircraft. These arrays of digital cameras, which include a top camera array, a bottom camera array, and two side camera arrays, are connected to and controlled by a central computer system. These arrays of digital cameras are positioned to view the wings, tail section, engines, and flaps on the aircraft as well as views of the horizon and ground. The passengers can access the views gathered by these multiple cameras for entertainment on their personal liquid crystal display screens, mounted in the rear back portion of each passenger seat. The crew can access the views gathered by these multiple cameras to check on the integrity of the aircraft. Also, in an emergency, the flight crew can restrict camera access to the passengers, to prevent panic.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of camera viewingsystems for commercial aircraft. More specifically, the presentinvention relates to a system of digital cameras operated by a centralcomputer to enhance pilot visibility both in the air and while on therunway, permit observation of aircraft status during flight, and providein-flight passenger entertainment.

BACKGROUND

[0002] To safely fly an aircraft, a pilot must have full knowledge aboutthe condition of the aircraft. It is not uncommon for damage to occur tothe aircraft during flight. During one such flight, the Concordesupersonic passenger aircraft experienced a punctured fuel tank due to aburst tire. The fuel began to leak out of the top of one of the wings. Apassenger saw the damage and immediately called for a flight attendant.Due to the fact that the pilots did not have an onboard camera to viewthe state of the wings, the pilot had to walk back into the passengercabin to view the damage. At first the pilot could not see the damage.It was not until the passenger shoved the pilot's head against thewindow that the damage became visible. Fortunately, on this flight, thepilots safely returned the Concorde and its passengers to the airport.If the passenger had not seen the damage and altered the crew, theoutcome could have turned out far worse.

[0003] In addition to the above problem experienced by the Concorde,aircraft can incur various other types of damage during flight. Impactswith birds can damage engines or the rear tail section and stabilizers.Icing conditions can lead to aircraft stalling. Poor maintenance andworn parts have caused engines to fall off during flight. AlaskaAirlines experienced a jammed stabilizer that the pilots attempted tocompensate for, rather than land. Had the pilots known the extent of theactual problem, they could have landed immediately. Microscopic cracksin the fuselage have caused gaping holes to burst in the aircraftpassenger cabin during the pressurized conditions of high altitudeflight. These are all forms of aircraft damage that a pilot needsimmediate and accurate information of, in order to safely fly theaircraft to an airport.

[0004] To successfully deal with damage incurred by the aircraft, it isnecessary that the pilot have as much knowledge as possible about thestate of the aircraft. One method of providing as much information aspossible to the pilot is through an on-board camera viewing system.Through placing various cameras around the aircraft, it is possible toenhance the pilot visibility, allowing the pilot to acquire an accurateunderstand of the condition of the aircraft.

[0005] Aside from safety, there is another highly beneficial use for anon-board camera system. One of the most popular activities on anaircraft is to look out the window. Unfortunately, generally only thepassengers seated right next to the window can really enjoy the view.Further, even the passenger with the window seat can only see what isout his window. Typically, most new commercial passenger aircraftinclude liquid crystal viewing screens in the backs of passenger seatsfor entertainment. Through linking the on-board camera system to thesepassenger viewing screens, all passengers can enjoy the views from thesecameras.

[0006] At present, there are several on-board camera systems known tothe art that are used for passenger safety and entertainment. One suchsystem is disclosed in a patent issued to Masterfield, U.S. Pat. No.4,041,529, entitled “Airplane Route Viewing System,” issued Sep. 9,1997. The patent issued to Masterfield teaches an entertainment systemfor presenting to the airplane passengers, over a television viewingmonitor screen, a photographic display of a section of the route viewedby a television camera mounted in the nose of the airplane. First, thispatent teaches the use of a single camera mounted in the nose of theaircraft. Second, this patent describes a process of presenting imagesfrom a television camera directly over a television screen inconjunction with prerecorded messages stored on tape. It is important tonote that the system described by this patent does not teach the use ofa central computer to control an array of digital cameras.

[0007] Another aircraft camera systems is described in Lee, U.S. Pat.No. 5,742,336, entitled “Aircraft Surveillance and Recording System,”issued Apr. 21, 1998. This patent, issued to Lee, essentially teaches amodernized version of an aircraft “blackbox.” This patent discloses asystem of video cameras that include an audio capability to record theflight of an aircraft. The images taken by these cameras are broadcastto a receiving station on the ground where they are recorded. Therefore,in the event of a crash, the crash investigators would have in flightvideo of what occurred. The views taken by these cameras are not shownin flight to either the passengers or the crew. Therefore, this systemdoes not enhance the visibility of the pilots or provide entertainmentto passengers. Also, this patent teaches that three of the camera viewsare of the interior of the aircraft, namely the pilots, the cockpit, andthe passenger cabin. Therefore, in the event of a crash, the cameraswould record the actions of terrified passengers or pilots asleep at thecontrols. The pictures taken by these cameras would not help either thecrew or the passengers in a flight. However, the images taken by thesecameras would help trial lawyers seeking jury verdicts after an airlinecrash. As with the Masterfield patent, this patent does not teach theuse of a central computer to control passenger or crew interaction witha plurality of digital cameras.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The present invention is an aircraft camera system for passengerentertainment and safety. The system includes several arrays of digitalcameras mounted on a passenger aircraft. These arrays of digital camerasare connected to and controlled by a central computer system. Thepassengers can access the views gathered by these multiple cameras forentertainment on their personal liquid crystal display screens mountedin the rear back portion of each passenger seat. Further, these displayscreens are touch screens allowing passengers to scroll through menusand select the camera angle they wish to view. In addition, using thetouch screen display, they can select between hearing audio about theflight or a musical selection. In an alternate embodiment, a passengercan control the screen display using a push button control unitelectrically connected to the screen.

[0009] The crew can access the views gathered by these multiple camerasto check on the integrity of the aircraft. At times during a flight,damage to the airframe may occur due to midair collisions, burst tires,or other mechanical problems. It then becomes necessary for the flightcrew to determine the condition of the aircraft in order to safely landthe aircraft. Having direct camera views of critical aircraft systemssuch as the wings, tail structure, and landing gear would enhance theability of flight crews to determine the state of their aircraft. Also,in an emergency, the flight crew can restrict camera access to thepassengers, to prevent panic.

[0010] The camera system includes a top camera array, a bottom cameraarray, and two side camera arrays. The top camera array has two camerasmounted within an aerodynamic, durable, and transparent housing. The topcamera array is mounted on the top of the aircraft fuselage near thefront of the aircraft. The first of the two cameras in the top cameraarray is pointed rearward, to provide a view the tail section of theaircraft. This camera view will allow pilots to view the condition ofthe rear stabilizers. The second of the two cameras in the top cameraarray is pointed forward, to provide passengers with an entertainingview of the sky and terrain that the aircraft is flying toward.

[0011] The bottom camera array has five separate digital cameras mountedwithin an aerodynamic, durable, and transparent housing. The bottomcamera array is mounted on the bottom of the aircraft fuselage forwardof the wings and rear of the nose landing gear. The front camera in thebottom array is pointed forward, to provide the passengers with anentertaining view of the sky and terrain ahead of the aircraft. Further,this camera would provide an exciting view of the airport and runwayduring take-off and landing. The second camera in the bottom array ispointed down, to provide passengers with a view of the land or seabeneath the aircraft during flight. The third camera in the bottomcamera array is pointed toward the starboard wing, flaps, and engines.The fourth camera in the bottom array provides a view of the port wing,flaps, and engines. These two cameras thereby provide the pilot and crewwith information about the state of the wing, flaps, and engines. Thelast camera in the bottom array is pointed aft, providing a view of thesky and terrain that the aircraft is flying away from. This aft viewwould provide exciting images as the aircraft takes off, to begin itsflight.

[0012] The two side camera arrays are each comprised of a single camerapointed over the wing to give the crew information about the conditionof the wings and flaps. The two side cameras are mounted within thepassenger cabin and are pointed out to view through existing passengerwindows.

[0013] The cameras used in the three camera arrays are preferablydigital cameras. The cameras can be mounted such that they can be movedto change the camera's viewing orientation. In addition, it is desirablethat the camera lens have the ability to zoom in or provide more of awide-angle view. The zoom function and wide-angle function are currentlyavailable on many quality digital cameras and would be advantageous forviewing critical aircraft areas such as engines, wheels, or controlsurfaces.

[0014] A central computer controls the plurality of camera arrays andinterconnects them to the passenger and crew viewing screens. Theviewing screens are preferably touch screens, so that the passengers andcrew can select various viewing choices directly on the screen.

[0015] The primary object of the invention is to enhance passengersafety by increasing the ability of the pilot and crew to determine thestate of the aircraft. A further object of the invention is to providepassenger entertainment. A still further object of the invention is toprovide a digital camera system that would require a minimum amount ofmodification to a current aircraft for use. A further object of theinvention is to provide a digital camera system that integrates with acentral computer to allow for ease of use by the crew and passengers.

[0016] Further objects and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent as the following description proceeds and the features ofnovelty which characterize this invention are pointed out withparticularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of thisspecification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The novel features that are considered characteristic of theinvention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. Theinvention itself; however, both as to its structure and operationtogether with the additional objects and advantages thereof are bestunderstood through the following description of the preferred embodimentof the present invention when read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings wherein:

[0018]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the camera viewing system;

[0019]FIG. 2 shows an exterior view of a 737 aircraft and the placementof the various cameras comprising the camera viewing system;

[0020]FIG. 3 shows a top view of the bottom camera array;

[0021]FIG. 4 shows a top view of the top camera array;

[0022]FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the top camera array mounted tothe top part of an aircraft fuselage;

[0023]FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the bottom camera array mountedto the bottom part of an aircraft fuselage;

[0024]FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of one of the side camera arraysmounted in the interior of the aircraft passenger cabin just above theleading edge of the wing;

[0025]FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of one of the side camera arraysmounted in a protective container;

[0026]FIG. 9 shows a passenger viewing screen displaying the output fromone of the cameras located on the bottom camera array;

[0027]FIG. 10 shows a typical row of airline passenger seats havingviewing screens mounted in the rear of the seat backs;

[0028]FIG. 11 shows a top view of a 737 aircraft along with the areaswithin the view of the top and side camera arrays;

[0029]FIG. 12 shows a bottom view of a 737 aircraft along with the areaswithin the view of the bottom camera array;

[0030]FIG. 13 shows the menu selection available to the crew of theaircraft for operating the camera viewing system; and

[0031]FIG. 14 shows the menu selection available to passengers foroperating the camera viewing system.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0032] Referring to the Figures by characters of reference, FIG. 1discloses a block diagram of the aircraft camera viewing system 100. Theaircraft camera viewing system 100 is comprised of a camera system 120that has three separate camera arrays 121, 122, and 123. The separatecamera arrays are the top camera array 121, bottom camera array 122, andside camera array 123. These three camera arrays 121, 122, and 123 areconnected to a central computer 110 via three separate busses 124. Bus124 may be made of copper wire or fiber-optic cable. Fiber-optic cableis immune to radio frequency interference (RFI), which may haveadvantages to maintaining the clarity of images. The central computer110 is connected to a pilot display 130 in the cockpit. The centralcomputer 110 is also connected to a passenger viewing screen array 140.The passenger viewing screen array 140 is comprised of a series ofliquid crystal viewing screens or displays 141 connected to a centralbus 142. Similar to bus 124, bus 142 may also be made of copper wire orfiber-optic cable. The aircraft crew in the cockpit can interconnect viabi-directional communications line 131 with the central computer 110 andlockout the passengers from viewing the camera array 120. In the eventof aircraft damage, views of the damaged aircraft on the passengerviewing display 141 could cause passenger panic. However, the crew canprevent this panic by disabling the ability of the passengers to viewthe camera array 120.

[0033]FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a Boeing 737 passenger aircraft200 having a generally tubular-shaped fuselage 201. As shown in FIG. 2,the top camera array 121 is mounted on the top of the aircraft fuselage201. The bottom camera array 122 is mounted on the bottom of theaircraft fuselage 201. Both of the top and bottom camera arrays 121 and122 are mounted on the exterior of the aircraft 200. The side cameraarray 123 is actually comprised of two separate cameras 123A and 123Bmounted on each side of the aircraft 200, such as shown in FIG. 7. Thestarboard camera array 123B is preferably mounted within the passengercabin on the starboard side of the aircraft 200. The port camera array123A is preferably mounted within the passenger cabin on the port sideof the aircraft 200. However, said cameras 123A and 123B couldalternately be attached to the fuselage 201. The side camera arrays 123Aand 123B are aimed along the leading edge of the wing to provide a goodview of the wings 205 and 208 and engines 206 and 210. While the camerasystem 120 is shown mounted on a Boeing 737, this system can integratewith other Boeing aircraft, Airbus aircraft, or aircraft of othermanufacturers, in a similar manner. Boeing aircraft models 707, 747,757, 767, and 777 and all Airbus aircraft have designs similar to the737 in that all of the engines are mounted under the wings. Therefore,the position of the various camera arrays 121, 122, 123A and 123B inFIG. 2 would also view the wings, engines, and other critical componentsin these other aircraft.

[0034] The bottom camera array 122 is shown in FIG. 3. The bottom cameraarray 122 is enclosed within an aerodynamic, durable, and transparenthousing 310. Preferably, the transparent housing 310 is made ofpolymethyl methacrylate, which is commonly known as Plexiglas or Lucite.However, other transparent housing materials could be used for housing310, such as hardened glass, acrylic, cellulose acetate butyrate, orpolystyrene.

[0035] The bottom camera array 122 is comprised of five separate cameras301-305. The front bottom camera 301 in the bottom array 122 is pointedforward to provide the passengers with an entertaining view of the skyand terrain ahead of the aircraft 200. Further, this camera wouldprovide an exciting view of the airport and runway during take-off andlanding. The second camera 302 in the bottom array 122 is pointed downto provide passengers with a view of the land or sea beneath theaircraft 200 during flight. The third camera 303 in the bottom cameraarray 122 is pointed toward the starboard wing 205, flaps 207, andengine 206. The fourth camera 304 in the bottom array 122 provides aview of the port wing 208, flaps 209, and engine 210. These two cameras303 and 304 thereby provide the pilot and crew with information aboutthe state of the wings 205 and 208, flaps 207 and 209, and engines 206and 210. The last camera 305 in the bottom array 122 is pointed aftproviding a view of the sky and terrain that the aircraft 200 is flyingaway from. This aft view would provide exciting images as the aircraft200 takes off, to begin its flight. It is important to note that duringthe construction of the bottom camera array 122, the various cameras301-305 can be positioned at different angles in order to integrate withaircraft models other than the Boeing 737.

[0036]FIG. 4 shows the top camera array 121. The top camera array 121has two cameras 401 and 402 mounted within an aerodynamic, durable, andtransparent housing 410. As with housing 310, the preferred material forhousing 410 is polymethyl methacrylate, with alternate materialsincluding hardened glass, acrylic, cellulose acetate butyrate, orpolystyrene. The top camera array 121 is mounted on the top of theaircraft fuselage 201 near the front of the aircraft 200. The first ofthe two cameras 402 in the top camera array 121 is pointed to view thetail section 215 of the aircraft 200. This camera 402 view will allowpilots to view the condition of the rear stabilizers 216. The second ofthe two cameras 401 in the top camera array 122 is pointed forward toprovide passengers with an entertaining view of the sky and terrain thatthe aircraft 200 is flying toward.

[0037]FIGS. 5 and 6 provide a perspective view of the top camera array121 and bottom camera array 122 mounted to the exterior of the aircraftfuselage 201. As shown, the top and bottom camera arrays 121 and 122 areenclosed by aerodynamic, durable, and transparent housings 410 and 310respectively.

[0038]FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the port camera array 123Amounted within the passenger cabin 201A of the fuselage 201 above theport wing 208. The port camera array 123A is comprised of a singledigital camera 701 mounted within a durable plastic housing 702. Thedigital camera 701 is angled to provide a view of the entire wing 208and engine 210. The starboard camera array 123B is identical to the portcamera array 123A.

[0039] A perspective view of the digital camera 701 and housing 702 isshown in FIG. 8. The digital camera and housing comprising the starboardcamera array 123B are identical to the digital camera 701 and housing702.

[0040] The cameras 301-305, 401 and 402, and 701 are preferably digitalcameras. The digital cameras are provided with a durable housing 320having a cylindrical cover 321 holding the lens 322. The digital camerahas the ability to manipulate lens 322 in order to zoom in on specificobjects, or provide a wide-angle view. The zoom function and wide-angleview function are currently available on many standard digital camerasavailable in the marketplace. For instance, the SONY ® digital camcorderhas a 10× optical and 120× digital zoom feature. This would allow thecrew of aircraft 200 to zoom in on key areas of the aircraft 200, or topursue a wide-angle view. The SONY ® digital camcorder has an IEEE-1394Firewire interface. Firewire is a high speed interface cable. In apreferred embodiment, cables 124 connecting the camera array 120 to thecomputer 110 are Firewire cables.

[0041] In addition, the SONY ® digital camcorder also has picturestabilization, called STEADYSHOT ®, which would reduce the effect ofaircraft vibration on the viewed images. The SONY ® camcorder supportssuper laserlink wireless transmission. Therefore, in an alternativeembodiment, links 124 would be wireless laserlinks, to reduce the needof stringing cables to hard to reach locations. Since digital camerasand camcorders do not use film, they are capable of operating inextremely low-light conditions. Thus, digital photography permitsoperation in a much wider range of ambient light conditions, which makesdigital photography the preferred means of photography for thisapplication. In an alternative embodiment, cameras 301-305, 401 and 402,and 701 have an infra-red capability to enable the pilots to view theaircraft during night time conditions.

[0042] Cameras 301-305, 401 and 402, and 701 are mounted on bases 323that permit the position of the cameras to be altered. This featureallows the camera array 120 to integrate with other models of aircraft.

[0043]FIG. 9 shows a passenger viewing screen 900 displaying the outputfrom camera 303 located on the bottom camera array 122. The passengerviewing screen 900 is preferably a conventional liquid crystal flatscreen display currently in use on many passenger aircraft. An LCDdisplay uses organic fluids called liquid crystals, because liquidcrystals possess two important properties. First, liquid crystals aretransparent but can alter the orientation of polarized light passingthrough them. Second, the alignment of liquid crystal molecules andtheir polarization properties can be changed by applying an electricfield. Liquid crystals are sandwiched between two glass plates, theoutsides of which having been coated with polarizing filters and theinner plate is typically back lit via fluorescent light. Inside theseglass plates is a matrix of electrodes. When an element of the matrix,called a pixel, experiences a voltage change, the polarization of theadjacent liquid crystal molecules change, which alters the lighttransmitted through the LCD pixel and hence seen by the user. Display900 could alternatively be a gas-discharge display, which is commonlyknown as a plasma display. A gas-discharge display contains neon betweena horizontal and vertical set of electrodes. When a vertical and ahorizontal electrode are charged, the neon glows at their intersection,emitting light. Display 900 may equally be a cathode ray tube (CRT)commonly used with desktop computers, a liquid crystal display, lightemitting diode display, or a flat panel electroluminescent display.Display 900 could equally use light emitting diodes (LEDs) which are asemiconductor device that converts electrical energy into light. LEDswork on the principle of electroluminescence and are produce little heatfor an amount of light output. Display 900 could be a flat panelelectroluminescent display, where a thin phosphor layer is set betweenvertical and horizontal electrodes. These electrodes form an X-YCartesian coordinate system. When a vertical and a horizontal electrodeare charged, the phosphor at their intersection emits light.

[0044] In FIG. 9, two items are displayed on the display 900. The firstitem is the actual image 901 as seen by camera 303. The second item is amenu selection 1400. The menu section button 1400 allows a passenger toactivate the menu choices available to the passenger in the camerasystem 100. Preferably, the display 900 is a touch screen display suchthat the passenger can just press the screen at the position marked mainmenu 1400. The menu 1400 available to the passengers is detailed in FIG.14. In an alternative embodiment, the passenger can select the choicesdisplayed on display 900 using a push button control device mounted onan armrest of each passenger's seat.

[0045]FIG. 10 shows a typical row of airline passenger seats 1000 havingviewing screens 900 mounted in the rear of the seat backs 1010. In manycommercial aircraft produced today, it is common to have a liquidcrystal display mounted in the rear seat back 1010 of a passenger seat1000. Alternatively, screen 900 may be mounted on the arm rest of thepassenger seat 1000. Also visible in FIG. 10 is the meal tray 1040.

[0046]FIG. 11 shows a top view of a 737 aircraft 200 along with theareas within the view of the top and side camera arrays 121 and 123. Thetop camera array 121 contains two cameras, 401 and 402. Camera 401 ispointed forward and has the viewing area marked by the dashed triangle701. Note that depending upon the optics used for the lens to camera401, the viewing area 701 can vary. Camera 402 is pointed to the rear ofthe aircraft 200 and has the viewing area 702. The side camera array 123comprised of the port and starboard cameras 123A and 123B cover theviewing areas 703 and 704 respectively. As shown by FIG. 11, the sidecamera array 123 covers the majority of the wings 205 and 208 andengines 206 and 210. The rear camera 402 covers the rear tail section215 and stabilizers 216. These camera angles 701, 702, 703, and 704provided to the crew of the aircraft 200 will greatly enhance the amountof knowledge available to the crew about the state of their aircraft 200thereby enhancing passenger safety both in the air and on the ground, onairport taxiways.

[0047]FIG. 12 shows a bottom view of a 737 aircraft 200 along with theareas within the view of the bottom camera array 122. The forward camera301 in the bottom camera array 122 covers the viewing area within thedashed triangle 710. The third camera 303 in the bottom camera array 122covers the area within the dashed triangle 713. This viewing areaincludes the majority of the wing 205 and engine 206. The fourth camera304 covers the viewing area within section 711, which includes wing 208and engine 210. The final camera 305 in the bottom camera array 122covers the tail section 712. Note that the second camera 302 in thebottom array 122 points straight down at the earth.

[0048]FIG. 13 shows the menu 1300 available to the crew of the aircraft200 for operating the camera viewing system 100. In a preferredembodiment, the crew access the menu 1300 through a touch screen LCDdisplay. The menu 1300 that controls the camera system 100 has threeprimary choices. The first choice 1310 is a camera viewing choice. Underthis menu section 1310, the crew can select the manner in which theywish to view the images collected by the camera system 100. In choice1340, the crew can have the computer system 110 cycle through showingeach camera at a preset time interval. For instance, the crew would seethe image from camera 301 for 20 seconds, then the image from camera 302for 20 seconds, then the image from camera 303 for 20 seconds, and soon. The duration of this preset time interval could be adjusted by theaircraft crew. Alternatively, in choice 1350, the crew can select toview one of the cameras for an indefinite period. Choice 1350anticipates that one of the cameras of the camera system 120 will viewsome sort of damage to the aircraft 200 and that the crew will want tocontinuously monitor that damage with the appropriate camera. In choice1360, the crew can select multiple cameras to view simultaneously.Several of the cameras in the various camera arrays have overlappingfields of vision. It is possible that certain damage to the aircraftwill be visible to several cameras. Under choice 1360, the crew caninstruct computer 110 to show the views seen by some or all of thecameras that have views of the damage continuously.

[0049] In FIG. 13, choice 1320 is the passenger lock-out feature. In theevent of damage to the aircraft 200, the passengers could see the damageto the aircraft 200 through the camera system 100 thereby causing panic.To prevent the passengers from panicking at the sight of the damagedaircraft 200, the crew could “lock-out” and prevent the passengers fromviewing the camera system 100 on their LCD displays 900 by accessingchoice 1320.

[0050] Referring again to FIG. 13, the crew can instruct the computer110 to record a specific camera view and transmit it using choice 1330.In the event that there is damage to the aircraft 200, the crew may wishto record the camera angle covering the damage for maintenance purposesusing choice 1370. This recording would then be included with the flightinformation in the aircraft's “black box.” However, in the event ofdamage, it is possible that the crew could benefit from advice fromengineers and pilots on the ground. Therefore, under choice 1380, thecrew can transmit images showing the state of their aircraft to expertson the ground.

[0051] The menu system 1400 available to passengers for operating thecamera system 100 is shown in FIG. 14. This menu system 1400 isaccessible to passengers through their touch screen displays 900. Thereare two primary choices available to passengers, 1410 and 1420. Choice1410 allows passengers to select which camera angle they want to see ontheir display 900. In this menu selection, the passengers first chosewhich camera array they want to see, choice 1460 gives the top array121, choice 1470 gives bottom array 122, or choice 1450 gives side array123. After making that choice, the passengers then select the specificcamera they wish to see. The reference numbers of the cameras, 123A,123B, 401, 402, 301, 302, 303, 304, and 305 are the available choices.Choice 1451 gives the view from camera 123A, choice 1452 gives the viewfrom camera 123B, choice 1461 gives the view from camera 401, choice1462 gives the view from camera 402, choice 1471 gives the view fromcamera 301, choice 1472 gives the view from camera 302, choice 1473gives the view from camera 303, choice 1474 gives the view from camera304, and choice 1475 gives the view from camera 305. The passengers canthen access choice 1420 that allows passengers to choice between hearinga prerecorded musical section with choice 1430 or hearing an educationrecording that follows the flight path with choice 1440. The music andeducational recording may be prerecorded on storage media such asmagnetic tape, including popular 8 mm or 4 mm cassettes, on CD-ROMoptical disks, or on DVD-ROM optical disks.

[0052] While the invention has been shown and described with referenceto a particular embodiment thereof, it will be understood to thoseskilled in the art, that various changes in form and details may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:
 1. An airplane camera system comprised of: a top camera array; a bottom camera array; a side camera array; a computer; a passenger viewing display; and a pilot display, said top camera array, said bottom camera array, said side camera array, said passenger viewing display, and said pilot display are connected to said computer, whereby a plurality of images gathered by said top camera array, said bottom camera array, and said side camera array are processed by said computer and at least one of said images is displayed on said passenger viewing display and said pilot display.
 2. The airplane camera system as described in claim 1, wherein said top camera array is comprised of: a digital camera; and an aerodynamic transparent durable housing, said digital camera is contained within said aerodynamic transparent durable housing.
 3. The airplane camera system as described in claim 2, wherein said bottom camera array is comprised of: a digital camera; and an aerodynamic transparent durable housing, said digital camera is contained within said aerodynamic transparent durable housing.
 4. The airplane camera system as described in claim 3, wherein said top camera array, said bottom camera array, and said side camera array are connected to said computer via fiber-optic cable.
 5. The airplane camera system as described in claim 4, wherein said passenger viewing display, and said pilot display are connected to said computer via fiber-optic cable.
 6. The airplane camera system as described in claim 5, wherein said passenger viewing display is a liquid crystal display mounted in a back portion of a passenger seat.
 7. The airplane camera system as described in claim 6, wherein said passenger viewing display is a touch-screen display.
 8. An airplane camera system comprised of: a top camera array mounted to a top surface of an aircraft fuselage, said top camera array is comprised of: a digital camera; and an aerodynamic transparent housing, said digital camera is mounted within said aerodynamic transparent housing, said aerodynamic transparent housing is mounted to said aircraft fuselage; a bottom camera array mounted to a bottom surface of an aircraft fuselage, said bottom camera array is comprised of: a digital camera; and an aerodynamic transparent housing, said digital camera is mounted within said aerodynamic transparent housing, said aerodynamic transparent housing is mounted to said aircraft fuselage; a passenger viewing display; a pilot display; and a computer, said digital camera mounted in said top camera array, said digital camera mounted in said bottom camera array, said passenger viewing display, and said pilot display are connected to said computer, whereby images gathered by said digital camera mounted in said top camera array and said digital camera mounted in said bottom camera array are processed by said computer and at least one said image is displayed on said passenger viewing display and said pilot display.
 9. The airplane camera system recited in claim 8, wherein said digital camera included in said top camera array points to the rear of said aircraft fuselage thereby viewing a tail and rear stabilizer.
 10. The airplane camera system recited in claim 9, wherein said top camera array includes an additional digital camera pointed toward a front portion of said aircraft fuselage.
 11. The airplane camera system recited in claim 10, wherein said digital camera included in said bottom camera array is pointed downward thereby viewing a surface below said aircraft fuselage.
 12. The airplane camera system recited in claim 11, wherein said bottom camera array includes an additional digital camera pointed toward a starboard wing and port engine.
 13. The airplane camera system recited in claim 12, wherein said bottom camera array includes an additional digital camera pointed toward a port wing and port engine.
 14. The airplane camera system recited in claim 13, wherein both digital cameras mounted in said top camera array and all three digital cameras mounted in said bottom camera array are connected to said computer by a fiber-optic cable.
 15. The airplane camera system recited in claim 14, wherein said passenger viewing display and said pilot display are connected to said computer by a fiber-optic cable.
 16. A process for showing images to a pilot and a passenger on an aircraft, comprising the steps of: acquiring a series of images with a plurality of digital cameras; transmitting said series of images to a computer; processing said series of images for viewing; selecting a specific digital camera for viewing; transmitting an image from among said series of images that was acquired from said specific digital camera to a pilot display and a passenger viewing display; and displaying said image on said pilot display and said passenger display.
 17. The process recited in claim 16, further comprising the step of selecting an audio recording to accompany the display of said image.
 18. The process recited in claim 17, further comprising the step of blocking the transmission of said image to said passenger viewing display. 